From the Mayor of Baltimore: ‘Fail No More’

A photo of Markel Scott, left, with his siblings and his mother, Sharonda Rhodes.CreditGabriella Demczuk for The New York Times

Jan. 22, 2018

To the Editor:

“In Baltimore, Anguish Over a Record-Breaking Homicide Rate” (news article, Jan. 17) confirms that real change will come only by addressing the systemic failings that perpetuate the conditions that give rise to violence: neglect of our youth, lack of basic needs, drug dependence, and lack of job and economic opportunity. Hopelessness.

Our Call to Action meetings and Violence Reduction Initiative, which convenes daily at police headquarters, have ushered in a new era of collaboration among community organizers, city agencies and police officers. Together, we are targeting problem situations in real time, de-escalating tensions and frustrations that inevitably lead to violence.

The Justice Department consent decree, resulting from Freddie Gray’s death and the turbulent aftermath, is proving a catalyst in changing mentalities, approaches and ultimately the culture of our Police Department.

Because I believe that we have an obligation to smooth the path of our young people and enable their grasp of the skills and resources they need to succeed, I made Baltimore City Community College tuition-free for all Baltimore City high school graduates beginning this year.

I have prioritized neighborhood investment, affordable housing, access to quality schools, and job and economic opportunity: These are the ingredients to safe and thriving communities.

What ultimately claimed these young men of Excel Academy was not just the bullets that ended their lives so tragically, but failures large and small, of society and family that rendered powerless whatever brief moments they glimpsed that a better way was possible. Their memory must compel us to fail no more.

CATHERINE E. PUGH, BALTIMORE

The writer is the mayor of Baltimore.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A24 of the New York edition with the headline: From the Mayor of Baltimore: ‘Fail No More’. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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